HT Correspondent
MORIGAON, July 26: The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Morigaon, in collaboration with the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) and UNICEF, Assam, organised a one-day district level capacity building workshop for block/circle level teams on child-friendly spaces during emergencies on Friday at Kalabithika, near DC’s Office, Morigaon. A total of 40 participants from the Social Welfare, Education, field officer (Disaster Management), and Health Departments of Morigaon district participated in the workshop.
The training program was inaugurated by Devashish Sharma, IAS, district commissioner cum chairman, District Disaster Management Authority, Morigaon, who delivered an inaugural speech. Biman Das, ACS, additional district commissioner cum chief executive officer, DDMA, Morigaon, was also present at the program. The resource persons for the workshop included Binita Bez, supervisor, Department of Woman and Child Development; Joya Bora, supervisor of ICDS Project, Bhurbandha, Morigaon; Sanjay Kalita, junior engineer, SSA, Morigaon; and Gautam Sankar Brahma, district MIS manager, PM POSHAN, Morigaon.
The day-long workshop discussed the need for child-friendly spaces (CFS) in Assam. It began with a pre-training test, followed by various sessions led by the resource persons on topics such as: Understanding humanitarian crises and their impact on children, and the needs of children during such crises; introduction to child-friendly spaces in relation to child protection, health, nutrition, and WASH; introduction to psychosocial responses and therapy-based techniques; program approaches for designing CFS and using the CFS kit and manual; introduction to age-appropriate learning continuity planning and child development and learning needs during and after disasters.
Child-friendly spaces (CFS) are safe spaces set up in emergency settings to support and protect children, aiming to restore a sense of normality and continuity to children whose lives have been disrupted by war, natural disasters, or other emergencies.
A temporary structure of a child-friendly space was demonstrated near the training hall, showcasing all facilities available in a CFS. The district commissioner and participants visited the CFS to experience its setup.
After the training program, feedback was received from participants, and certificates were distributed by Biman Das, ACS, additional district commissioner cum chief executive officer, DDMA, Morigaon. The training program concluded with a speech by Ranju Sarma, district project officer, District Disaster Management Authority, Morigaon.
